


it's always been you

by fairytalebarnes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 12:49:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19296091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairytalebarnes/pseuds/fairytalebarnes
Summary: A post endgame SteveBucky one shotThe Steve and Bucky ending we deserved.





	it's always been you

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry if there is any mistakes in this, I wrote it quickly and just wanted to get it done.  
> I hope you like it :)

“Don’t do anything stupid till I get back” Steve said with a sad smile as he approached Bucky. His best friends eyes were filled with sadness. Steve hated seeing him like this.

“How can I, you’re taking all the stupid with you” Bucky replied as he leaned forward to embrace the other man. The hug didn’t last nearly as long as it should have, Bucky holding on to Steve as tight as he could until he had to let go. He was finally letting Steve go. This was a moment Bucky had been waiting for practically his whole life, and it was now reality.

Bucky couldn’t watch Steve go. Instead, in that moment, every memory that he ever had of Steve seemed to flash through his mind in a blur of emotions. He thought about the first time they met. Steve had been a sickly child being bullied on the school playground. Bucky rushed over to his side to comfort him. “Come on pal, let’s get you out of here”, Bucky had spoken softly as he extended his hand out for Steve to grab hold and pull him up. “I can get by on my own” Steve replied weakly as he stood next to the older boy. It was in that moment that Bucky knew he was going to protect Steve for as long as he could. They were more than best friends. They were soulmates, before either of them knew what that meant.

He remembered the last time he saw Steve before he had to ship off. That night, he told Steve that he had been drafted. They sat on the balcony of their tiny Brooklyn apartment, Steve resting his head on Bucky’s shoulder, both of them sobbing silently as they looked up at the stars. They had both always been fascinated by space. In that moment, they were connected. They knew that whenever they missed each other and felt lonely, they promised to both look at the stars and they would be together again. They knew the other would be looking up at the sky too and remember all of the moments they shared throughout their lives. They had hope that they would find their way back to each other no matter what.

Then he remembered the day that Steve saved him, not that he could recall much from that night. He was lying on a metal table, the cold feeling on his back through his clothes making him shiver. He opened his eyes to find Steve standing over him, like his own guardian angel. At first Bucky was convinced it was a dream. Steve couldn’t be here. But when Steve said his name, Bucky could recognise that voice anywhere. When he was finally standing, supported by Steve’s arm around his waist, he glanced up and down at the man next to him. It wasn’t the Steve he had held in his arms before leaving. This Steve was taller, bigger, even bigger than him. Maybe now the roles would be reversed, that Steve would be the one to look after him. But he didn’t care. He had his Stevie back and he was never going to let him go again.

Then Bucky had fallen off the train. It all happened so fast. The last thing he knew, Steve was screaming his name, his own yells echoing as he slipped into darkness. His last thought was Steve. How could he leave the man he loved? Now Steve was going to have to live in a world without Bucky, anything could happen to him. He was scared he was going to die. He was scared for Steve. But he had promised Steve that he would always hold on to hope. So he prayed and prayed that Steve would come back to him. That by some miracle they would find each other again. And he prayed until he couldn’t pray anymore. They wiped him. Steve was a distant memory belonging to Bucky Barnes. But he wasn’t Bucky Barnes anymore. He was the winter soldier.

Bucky had his next target. But from the moment he saw the man on the bridge he couldn’t help but feel connected to him. He had no idea who he was, but there was something so familiar about him. He was confused. He had never felt close to another person before, at least, not that he could remember. So he had lived his life alone, following orders like he was meant to do. Until Steve.

He learnt about Steve in a museum. ‘Inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield’. But now Bucky was presumed dead and Steve was Captain America, the nations hero. 

Steve had found Bucky. He still has no idea how, but he found him. He helped him to get his memories back. Bucky had nightmares a lot, and it turned out Steve still did too. As much as Steve helped Bucky to recover, Bucky had been a comfort to Steve too. Most of Steve’s dreams were about him falling. So every time Steve woke up screaming Bucky’s name, he would rush to his side. Steve would curl up into Bucky’s side as Bucky rubbed small circles on his back, coaxing him back to reality and speaking softly, reminding Steve that he was there. He was right there with him and he was never going to leave him again.

Bucky was snapped out of his nostalgia daze when he heard Sam speak. “Where is he, he should be back by now”, his voice was filled with worry as he looked around frantically.

He knew exactly where Steve was. He had gone back to Peggy. The love of his life. It was the life he deserved to have, the life he wanted. He had sacrificed himself to save the world and left behind the only person he ever wanted. Bucky felt defeated. There was some part of him that always thought Steve would stay with him. It was selfish, he knew. Maybe if Bucky hadn’t recovered as quickly then Steve would have stayed for him. But now Bucky had convinced everyone that he was strong enough. The truth is, he was never strong. Not without Steve.

\--

Steve stood in the doorway to the apartment, seeing Peggy standing before him. He had come back for this. His old life back. What he had dreamt about since coming out of the ice. Yet something felt wrong.

He watched as Peggy walked towards him, a soft song playing in the background.

“I promised you a dance”, Steve smiled as he leaned towards her, arms wrapped around her waist. They danced in silence, just swaying to the music and enjoying the others company. They didn’t need words in the moment. Steve coming back for her said enough, and actions speak louder than words after all.

As the music began to fade signalling the end of the song, Steve took a step back from Peggy.

“Pegs, I have to go”, Steve couldn’t look her in the eye as he spoke, filled with guilt.

“It’s okay Steve. I understand” she replied as she placed a hand on his arm, rubbing gently.

“You do?”

“I do” she sighed. “Go back to him. I know its what you want to do. Its him Steve. Its always been him. I could always see it. The way he looked at you. The way you looked at him. Maybe none of the men ever figured it out but I always knew deep down that you loved him”

“I’m so sorry I have to do this”, his eyes began to fill with tears as he thought about Bucky. Peggy had just told him that Bucky loved him too. His whole life he thought that the man he loved could never return those feelings. He couldn’t stay away from him any longer.

“You promised me a dance; I got my dance. Now go get your man back” she smiled. Peggy had always seen Bucky as competition. She had fought for Steve’s affection and he had given it to her. But after everything Steve had been through, he deserved his happy ending. Peggy understood that it wasn’t her.

\---

Bucky looked out at the river, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. They didn’t even get a proper goodbye. But this time it wasn’t a horrible nightmare that had ripped them apart. This was Steve’s decision. It made it hurt even more.

He sat down on a bench, watching the water and rubbing his eyes until they were red. He felt a presence next to him.

“Go away Sam”, he spoke between sobs as he turned to see the man sitting beside him.

“Hey Buck”.

It was Steve. His Steve. 

“W-what are you doing here?” Bucky stuttered as he turned to face the blond. Steve saw the pain in Bucky’s eyes. He promised himself that he was going to make Bucky happy. This was the man he had loved for most part of a century. A love story that extended over two lifetimes. He was going to do whatever it took to make Bucky happy again.

“Well, I couldn’t leave my best guy, could I?” Steve smiled. He lifted his left hand gently to wipe the tears away from Bucky’s cheek. The brunet looked down, suddenly feeling warmth from the comforting touch of Steve’s hand on his face. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had been so gentle with him. Having a loving touch meant so much more to him than Steve could ever know.

“What about Peggy” he finally found the strength to say those words out loud. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. Maybe Steve was about to leave him again. Maybe this was the final goodbye that they didn’t say before.

“I promised her a dance. I went back, she got her dance, and she told me not to wait a minute longer to come back to you”. There was a sense of hope as Steve spoke, like maybe this could be there life now. Together.

“She told you to come back for me?”. Bucky was confused. He knew that Peggy didn’t really like him back in the war. He would have never expected her to encourage Steve leaving her. 

“Well she helped me to realise it was the right decision. It was always going to be you Buck. It’s always been you”.

Now Bucky’s world had been flipped upside down. Steve Rogers came back for him. It wasn’t some horrible dream that would end. He wasn’t going to wake up alone, thinking about Steve as only a memory.

“Steve I- I don’t know what to say” he replied in shock.

“Then just let me speak Buck”, he took a deep breath before he spoke again.

“James Buchanan Barnes. From the moment I met you I knew you were something special. I was just a small ill child, but you saw me for me. In your eyes I was so much more than that and I will never be able to thank you enough. From that moment, you were always there to care for me. I know how tough it was for you to see me like that. There were moments where we both thought I would never recover. But you always stuck by my side. Then the next thing I knew you were being shipped off and I thought I had lost you forever. It felt like whenever we found each other again, I would always lose you and I blamed myself. Once you had your memories back, I knew that I could never let you go again. You were finally becoming yourself again and that’s when I knew”.

“Knew what?” Bucky still couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“That I love you” Steve spoke, his voice shaky. “Wow, it feels so good to finally say that out loud. Bucky, I have always loved you and I always will. And I hate that it took me so long to figure it out but now I know and I never want to leave you again”. 

Steve smiled at Bucky like he was his entire world. And Bucky knew what that felt like because Steve was Bucky’s world. He was the moon and the stars, his entire galaxy. And he was never going to spend another minute without him.

“I love you too Stevie. My whole life its only been you. And my whole life I’ve felt like I’m not good enough for you. You are perfect in every way and I always believed you deserved better than me. But hearing you say that you feel the same. Please just say it again, so I know that its real”.

“Buck, I love you, more than anything”.

He leaned forward and held Bucky in his arms once again. But this time he wasn’t going to let go too soon. He was holding the love of his life and he had never been happier. A few tears slipped from Bucky’s eyes once more but this time they were happy tears, tears of relief. 

As he rested his head on Steve’s shoulder and felt Steve press a kiss to his forehead, he knew that he was safe. 

Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were the definition of true love. And they lived the rest of their lives knowing that they loved each other more than anything. They would never leave each other. They were each-others forever.

Their very own happy ever after.


End file.
